Dispensing apparatus



Nov. 21, 1944.' A. J. LAU ET AL 2,363,340

DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed Dec.. 16, 1940 4 Sheets$heet 2 Mam w 3M 4mm! J m INVENTORS v QW ,iifomze y A. J. LAU ET AL 2,363,340

DISPENSING APPARATUS 7 Filed Dec. 16, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 5.

I I illwa/nddz J 0&6; if

INVENTORAS.

. Nos 21, 1944.

J. LAU ET AL DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed Deb. 16, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Nov. 21, 1944 Alexander J. Lau and Ralph Donath. Pittsburgh, 1 'Pa., assignors of one-third to-John C. Green,

1 Pittsburgh, Pa.

"Application December 16, 1940, Serial No. 370,312 I Claims. (01.312-96) This invention relates to vending apparatus primarily intended for vending selectively diifer-v ent articles in which the purchaser makes ,his

own selection. I ,v I Another object of the invention is to provide a selective vending apparatus in which a large quantity of various articles may be vended.

Still another object of the inventionis .toprovide a selective vending machine in which articlesto be vended are quickly replenished.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a selective vending apparatus-which is suitable for stores or other public places in which'the available iioor space is limited. f

"Another object of the invention is to provide a selective vending apparatus with a series of vertical, endless conveyors secured within a cylindrical, housing in' which the latter is rotatably:

veyors operable from a single coin device and all g articles dispensed into a single delivery chute.

vA further object of the invention is to provide a selective vendingmachine with a series of vertically disposed endless conveyors; each mounted on a'base-plate and adapted to be turned on an axis for a distance of ninety degrees from its normal position for the purpose of replenishing the stock.

A further object of the present invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive vending apparatus and yet one which will be exceedingly efiective and useful for the purpose-for which it is-designed.

In the accomplishment of these and such other objects as may hereafter appear the invention consists of the novel construction; combination and arrangement of parts herein specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown an embodiment of the invention, but. it is to be understood that,

changes, variations and modifications may be resorted to which come within the-scope of the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings wherein like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a verticals ectional view of the apparatus with the base and the coin device shown in outline.

Figure 2 is an outline view of the complete apparatus.

.Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the device with certain parts of the conveyor mechanismeliminated. p v

Figure 4 is, a front elevation on a larger scale of one of the conveyors mounted on a rotatable base-plate, as used in this invention.

Figure 5 is'a fragmentary front outline view-of the rotatable cylindrical housing showing one of the windowed doors and the openingin the housing through which the plunger of the coin device operates. i v t Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating one of the conveyor trays attached to the conveyor chains, part of the tray being broken away to show its construction.

Figure 7 shows a side view on a larger scale of the coin device. in combination with the mechanism which imparts rotary movement to the conveyor for the predetermined distance of one tray every time a coin is inserted in the slot of the coin. device and the operating lever is being pushed'in by the customer. t

Figure 8 is a top view of Figure 7 including portions of the conveyor.

' Figure 9 .isa side-elevation of the pawl and ratchet arrangement which determines the distance of travelof theconveyor.

.. Figure 10 is a top view of Figure 9.

.Figurejll is a side view somewhat enlarged of the arr'angement'which regulates the distance of the movement of the conveyor and retains it in the desired position.

Figure 12 shows the door operated mechanism by means of which the base-plate which supports a conveyor is being turned for a distance of ninety degrees, in thisfigure the conveyor is shown in itsnormal position and with the door closed. Figure 13 is a fragmentary side view of the conveyor base-plate showing the connecting 1ever, which ties the base-plate and the door, pivotally attached to the underside of the baseplate..

Figure 14'is a view similar to Figure 12 showing the door open and the base-plate including the conveyor turned for a distance of degrees to facilitate loading. g

In carrying the invention into effect in one 'convenient'mannerwhen applying the same, for

example, to dispensing bread or similar articles,

housing 42.of-saidiplatformi29 the same comprises in general a base 20, a subbase 2|, a rotatable housing 22 and a domed top 23.

As shown, the base i of cylindrical outline and is provided with casters 24 of any standard make 5 to permit easy moving.

The sub-base 2 l is secured to the upper portion 25 of said base 20 in any suitable manner and is provided with a deliverychute 26 extending outwardly of said sub base 21..

Adjacent said delivery chute 26 is a coin device 21 of any standard make and suitable for n the purpose intended. This coin device .21. con- 7 stitutes no part of the present invention; Ade

tailed construction thereof is-therefore not. indi-o cated, but will be briefly referred totlateix,v

The said rotatable housing 22 comprises a cylindrical outer casing 28 supported at thebottom by a platform 29 having radiating ribsBU" which extend outwardly and are securedto-the; interior of said casing 28 in any uitable manher.- Theupper portion of'said'basing 28"i'ssupportedbya bracket '31 which is provided with ra diating ribs 32 extending outwardly and'alsose curedtotheinterior of'casing'28. The platform 29 and bracket 3| are provided with centralhubs" 33 and 34 respectivelywhi-ch serve as-beari-ngs for the vertically disposed stationarytubular axis-35 which is secured at the lowermost-endto the shaft-socket 36*of the sub-base-Ztbymeans of a nut 31 and a'lock-nut'38-as shown in Figure 1 i of the drawings Referring '--now to Figures 1 and= 3 it will be noted that the chousing 22;- including-of-course theplatform 29 -and= the bracket 3'l-,-is adapted-'td be rotated manually fromthe exterior oi -the 1 housing in a horizontal plane, but' 'thi's:will -be-' explained-later. I v.

Inthe present instance --the-'said platform--29 has four, with the outer casing-28 concentricallyarranged and equidistantly spaced, par-tly'revolving base-plates 39 each comprisinga circular table: 40. provided with- -a centrally disposed -de-- 1 pending stub-shaft -fl adapted to-be rotatably supported in the downwardly extending bearing-- Each of saidztables-flfllshas secured thereon: a vertically arranged chain conveyorstructure -43 Z supported: by a frame 44' of any suitable de'sign. This conveyor 43 consists of 'a pair of spaced-5 chainsx45 and: 48; running over spaced sprocket wheels. :41, 48.respectively:" Said sprocket wheels are mounted on sprocket shafts 49 and 50 respec-- tively and mounted-.forrotation in said frame. 44.

The endless-chains 45, 46 are composed of a plurality of: links :5 lzito which are secured= equallyvspaced and= parallelly disposed .trays or shelves 52 of rectangular shape asbest: shownin 'FigurB- 6 of the drawings The bottomi-53 of said trays is preferably placedumidways of the rectangular frame 54 so a as to provide a double: protecting Trims; for both faces of: thebottom. 531 ofzthe. trays'52 thereby adapting same .tosprevent sliding: off-loft articles while the conveyor is in motion or forany other reason.

The outer casin 28 is-provided" with a win-1- dowed doore55- (see Figures.2; 3.'andi5)ffor-eachr conveyor, partly for, convenience .tozenable. the prospective buyer to see the desired article and partly to en'ablethe proprietor toagain replenish the conveyors. after articles. have been sold:

out. a

t is well known in the art thatvcoinaoperatedii dispensing machines, such'as for instance the one herein described,'are madexto only: operateafter the proper coin had been placed in the en-. trance slot 56 of the coin device 21 (not de. tailed). In this case, the forward movement of the push-rod 5'! is normally prevented, but if a coin is placed in entrance slot 56 it may be moved forwardly and through the aperture 58 (see Figures l. and 5) of the outer casing 28 of the apparatus. By doing this, the button 59 of said push=rod ilustrikes thecooperatingzibutton 60 of the rack-lever 6|; which' is in axial alignment with push-rod 51, and moves the rack-lever 6! forward thereby turning the rack-gear 62, which is in engagement with the teeth of the rack-lever 61; in 'a'counterclockwise direction.

x A v ry Dush-of-Vthe-push-rod 5'! the rack-gear 62'. turns. fonra. predetermined distance, corresponding toth'edi'stance between two trays (pitch of the trays) of theconveyor 43. The ratchet 1ever 63"by means of the spring tensioned pawl -64x=rotates1the ratchet wheel 65 and the chain sprockets 41 and 48 over which the endless chains 45, 46*are trained; thus "imparting a. counterclockwise movement for a distance corresponding to the tray-pitcher the conveyor; By this arrangement the lowermost tray 66' is turned around' the lowersprocket" wheels '48"thereby ejecting the article deposited-'on' th'at tray into the delivery chute 2 6 which is ;thenremoved by the patron.

Of course, the push-rod 51 of the coin device 1 T as well as the rack-lever 6| return to their normal position by means of the coil springs "'68 and 69 respectively.

It will be noted that the shaft 49which car, ries the lower sprocket wheels 41 andthe ratchet wheel 65, and the-stub-shaft on which the rackgear62 is'mounted are-in axial alignment with" each otherbut separatedn This is done to prevent the conveyor from going backwards when .the rack-lever 61 returnsagain-to its original" normal position.

Shaft 49 isalso' provided 'with -a circular disc 12;as shown in Figures 8- and 11, which is provided with a plurality of equidistantly-spaced, small hemispherical dents IT-adapted try-receive the; ball shaped: head.- of: a spring tensioned bolt 15.- Each space: between said" dents =13-corre-- sponds to theidistance or the tray-pitch .orthe conveyor. r

The above described: arrangement is intended to control the. intermittent motion 10f itheconveyor so that the lowermost.front trayxis.at all times in a horizontalpositions The operation of the machinegande its :partsis it quite. apparent from;therforegoinghv If. the-ma aid'ofthe indicating letters or labelson. theiar.

ticles seen through the window ofthe-doorzonby. suitable signs painted on the Window.

As the-prospective, purchaser revolves .theirotatable housing 22 *to, select the conveyor which. carries the-selected'article a spring tensioned. roller 14; which is secured to'th'e'outer casing. 16 of the coin device 21-."(seeFigures l, 7 "and 8)., drops .into -ashallow cavity 11" every'ttime the apertures58- of 'theicasing 28- of the-housing 22.

registers with the push-rod of the coin device 2] and therefore also, registers with theracklever 61 which operates the conveyor in a manner as heretofore described. 7 In order ;to disengage the roller 74 from the cavity 11 a little pressur must be exerted by the purchaser while turning the housing, 22 and this is repeated until the selected articles appear through the door window 55.

I Th patron having-locatedthe desired article then drops the proper coin in the slot of the coin device 2! after which he pushes the pushrod 51, which inturn pushes the rack-lever 6| forwardly thereby rotating rack-gear 62 and consequentlythe conveyor 'a distance. of one pitch tray after which the article placed upon the lowermost tray facing the patron drops into thedelivery chute 26, ready to be taken away by the purchaser.

As is well known, in dispensing machines of this type it is highly desirable to provide means whereby the replenishing of the stock may be rapidly effected and this object is, it is believed, accomplished by providing a turntable 40 for each complete conveyor unit by means of which the normally front and rear trays 52 of the conveyor may be replenished without rotating the conveyor.

Normally, the conveyors are positioned in the rotatable housing, 22, as shown in Figure 12, ready to discharge articles into the delivery chute 26. In that position the trays in the rear of the conveyor could not be replenished without continually rotating the conveyor, which, of course would consume considerable time. This is fully overcome by providing simple means by trays adapted to support articles of merchanmeans of which the turntable on which a com- Since the doors are normally closed and only opened when replenishing the trays of the conveyors this feature is of great importancefor several reasons: firstly, to save time, secondly to retain the complete unit locked from rotating and thirdly merchandise may be placed on all trays without rotating the conveyor. v

It will be apparent that the herewith described apparatus may be equipped with only one conveyor unit or with four units as shown in the drawings and described herewith.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings, it will be seen that the present invention provides a device of the character set forth which is simple in construction and designed to carry out the objects of the invention in a reliable and efficient manner. It will, of course, be understood that while the constructiondisclosed is preferred, changes for and within the scope of the appended claims may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

We claim:

1. In a dispensing device of the character described comprising a base provided with a discharge chute at a point about its periphery, a

top and a cylindrical casing interposed between the base and the top said casing provided with wardly extending, equally .spaced trays, each 7 adapted to support an article ofrmerchandise; means; .totrotate.said platform in a horizontal planeto move a'selected table into position adjacent the chute, and means to operatethe conveyor adjacent the chute and advance its trays a distance equalling the pitch of said trays and cause an article r'estingupon one of the trays tofbe droppedinto the chute. I

2. In a dispensing device of the character described comprising a stationary base provided with a discharge chute, a stationary top and a cylindrical casing rotatably interposed therebetween; said casing provided with a platform; a plurality of horizontally disposed tables arranged radially on said platform in position to succese sively move into position adjacent the chute as the casing is turned, each table supporting an endless conveyor adapted to move vertically dise; manual means to rotate said casing and platform in a horizontal plane and move a selected table into position adjacent the chute, the mechanical means to operate conveyor of the table disposed adjacent the chute to advancethe trays thereof a distance equalling the pitch of said trays and cause an article resting upon one of its trays to be dropped into the chute.

3. In a dispensing device of the character described, arotatable cylindrical casing, a platform I within said casing having a plurality of horizontally disposed and radially arranged tables rotatably mounted thereon; a delivery chute mounted on a support below the casing, said tables being movable successively adjacent thereto when the platform is turned; each of said tables supporting and endless conveyor arranged to move'vertically about horizontal axes and provided with a plurality of equally spaced and outwardly extending trays adapted to freely support articles of merchandise; manual means to rotate said platform in a horizontal plane into a selected position; individual means for each of said conveyors to advance the conveyor trays successively a predetermined distance equalling the pitchof said trays, said individual means operable by a unitary means common to all of said conveyors, the advance of the conveyors permitting passage of the merchandise from said trays.

4. In a dispensing device of the character described, a rotatable cylindrical casing, a platform within said casing having .a plurality of horizontally disposed and radially arranged tables rotatably mounted thereon; a delivery chute mounted on a support below the casing, said means-: operable" "by a .wnmtary' means .commonto an #of' said: conveyors, the :advance of theoconveyors permitting passage of Hthe. merehamfise from said v-trays;tsaidvcylindnical'ieasing pnovided with 'zdoors and-moor:operatedameansatorcause said rotary mables, "including 'lzthe- \wconveyors 'mountedz'thereomtdzbe partlymotated.

a5.) Imaaidispensing deviceuofztheeehamcteridescribedz-includingoa'rotatablei cylindrical:casing having :doors; iamdelivery chute rmountedtaon ha. support: belowfmhe: easing ;::;azplatfon x:s.mithin: said casing i'haying 11a plurality of horizontally udisposed :and =-r,a&ia1 1y aarranged i =tables rmtatably mounted "thereon; said: tables:beingnmoyablmsuccessively; adj acentl.:,the :chute-whemsthe mlatform i turned; each of saidiiables: suppo'ntmgvanaend- :waomuo less conveyor arranged to move wertically about horizontal axes and provided with -a plurality of equally spaced and -0utWard1-y.-extending trays adapted to support articles of merchandise; the advance -0f the conveyors permitting passage of the merchandise-from saidtrays,-means for=aetuating the conveyor -of a table & adj acent the chute andcause an articleto be dropped into thechute and door operated means'to-cause said rotaltable tables, inoluding the' conveyors mountedthereon, tobe-tunnedfor one fourth-ofa revolution from itsmormal "position when opening thedoor and returned -'--to normal position s whenclosing the door.

ALEXANDER J. 'LAU.

R'ALP-H DONATH. 

